Magical Mischief
by hazel dreamer
Summary: This story features the adventures of the Weasley twins, Gred and Forge. It was originally a trilogy, consisting of 3 separate stories, but I decided to write a sequel and compress all the stories into one long novel.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1  
  
"Oy, Fred!"  
  
"Yes, George?"  
  
"Look at what I just found!" George exclaimed excitedly as he showed Fred his precious find.  
  
"Blimey, it seems that our hard work of cleaning the attic paid off!"  
  
"C'mon, Fred, we'd better sneak this thing into our room before anyone else spots it."  
  
***  
  
The twins heaved the heavy Muggle computer into their room. Mr Weasley had carelessly left the computer in the attic after repeated failures of operation.  
  
Just as the twins were dusting the old thing, Ron peered into their room curiously. The twins leapt in front of him, blocking everything else out of his sight.  
  
"Hey, little brother, what brings you here today?"  
  
"Nothing, just wondering what you guys were up to."  
  
"Well, if there's nothing, then get out, you git. Can't you see that we're busy with work?"  
  
With that, the twins shoved Ron out and locked the door, leaving him to ponder about what work they could possibly have.  
  
"Honestly, Fred, that boy's growing up! His sense of detection is finally perking up and he seems to know when we're up to something. it really worries me."  
  
"Hmm. we still haven't gotten him some new dress robes yet. Maybe a couple of 'Madam Malkin's Best Dress Robes for All Occasions' would temporarily disable his detection system?"  
  
"You're right. one of these days we will have to find an excuse to pop down to Diagon Alley to replenish our joke supplies, get some maroon dress robes, and buy some books on Muggles."  
  
"Muggle books? What for?" Fred scratched his head.  
  
"Honestly, Fred! You're so thick in the head! Call yourself my twin? 'You're such a disgrace to the family!'" George mimicked his mother's voice for the last sentence. He continued, "We have to find this particular book called 'The Wizard's Guide to Muggles: Computers and the Internet'. Dad wanted to buy it last summer, but Flourish and Blotts was out of it, and he practically cried."  
  
"Hey George, I finally see some brains in you! You know, you might even be able to get a house transfer to Ravenclaw next year!" He dodged a book from George and became more serious.  
  
"I have an absolutely wonderful excuse for going to Diagon Alley. Lee Jordan's spending a week staying at Diagon Alley, remember? Ron will be visiting Hermione with Harry then, so they won't be tagging along, and then we could meet Lee at Diagon Alley and buy our stuff on the way! Mum can't stop us from meeting our old pal, can she?"  
  
The twins looked at each other and grinned.  
  
***  
  
Fred and George spent the most of the next week visiting Diagon Alley for tricks and books, occasionally sneaking out of Diagon Alley into Muggle London for parts needed for the Internet connection setup. They even took to painting the computer a wonderful sky-blue colour for camouflaging purposes. It was even charmed to glow in the dark, enabling its secret usage during the night.  
  
Finally, after a week of hard work (especially at trying to shut their mouths to prevent themselves from spilling out their secret to Lee Jordan), the computer was successfully set up. Even Mrs Weasley would have been impressed by the masterpiece - it was a result of excellent technical skills and creativity.  
  
On the night of completion, unable to wait till the next day, Fred and George started up the computer in the middle of the night. Afraid of waking up the others, the first thing they did was to mute the sound. However, even with frequent consultations of the Wizard's Guidebook, they tried, unsuccessfully, to connect to the internet. Sighing in frustration, they had a not-too-silent fight over who was the cause of all these troubles, only to result in Ron's untimely appearance at their door.  
  
Deeply engrossed in their fight, the twins only noticed Ron when he hissed, "Will you guys shut up? You're waking up the whole - " He was cut off by the sight of the glowing computer, which left him goggling in amazement instead.  
  
He commented knowledgeably, "Hey, is that a compewter? Where did you get it? It's cool! Hermione showed Harry and I how to operate one when we visited her house last week. Hmm. it seems like you're having some problems here."  
  
Fred and George were so shocked at the sight of Ron and his knowledge of Muggles that they did not even stop him. They just stood there gaping at him like two idiots. "You twits!" Ron exclaimed, yanking the twins back to reality. "You did not plug in the modamn! Really, and you call yourselves Weasleys?" Ron shook his head in mock disappointment.  
  
With Ron's help, they finally managed to connect to the 'innernet'. Fred and George were just about to thank Ron for his help when he grinned evilly at them.  
  
"Now, Ron, what exactly is going on in that simple mind of yours?" asked Fred.  
  
"This is not allowed by Mum, is it? I mean, nobody else knows about this thing, right?"  
  
It finally dawned on the twins what Ron was thinking about.  
  
"Okay, baby brother, you keep this secret of ours and you can use this. compewter. whenever you want. Deal?" asked George.  
  
"Even when you are using it, George? Am I allowed to barge in and disrupt your highness?" Ron asked with a smirk.  
  
"Fine. Just shut up about this."  
  
"And by the way, this is for you, just an expression of our gratitude. Mind you, young Weasley, you'd better be grateful for this."  
  
Fred shoved a bag of brand new dark blue dress robes into Ron's hands and George did a curtsey. Then both of them said, "Buzz off" and pushed Ron out of their room.  
  
***  
  
The internet had been a great source of information for Fred and George. They went to chatrooms under the nickname "Gred and Forge," only to find a number of their school mates online as well. Angelina was one, Oliver Wood (who kept pestering them about Quidditch moves) was another, and surprisingly, Hermione Granger. Hermione had been extremely helpful, giving Fred and George some friendly advice on the internet and homework, and sometimes chatting to Ron when he went online.  
  
Hermione_G: Hey, Ron!  
  
Ronniekins: Hi, Hermione, can you help me with my Potions essay?  
  
Hermione_G: How?  
  
Ronniekins: For a start, you could show me a copy of your essay.  
  
Hermione_G: Honestly, Ron! When will you grow up to be more independent? Even your username is so childish!  
  
Ronniekins: I can't help it! Those two annoying gits permanently changed my username and I'm stuck with it forever! How can you blame me for it?  
  
Hermione_G: Too bad.  
  
Ronniekins: Hey! How can you do this to me? You're supposed to pity me! Me, your best friend!  
  
Hermione_G: Ron! You are really SO childish.  
  
Ronniekins: I noticed.  
  
***  
  
Hey Ron, have you finished chatting with your girlfriend now? I need to chat with my girlfriend, it's Angelina by the way, so buzz of now!" yelled Fred impatiently.  
  
The tips of Ron's ears went red. He yelled, "She's not my girlfriend! Will you shut up about it? Or I'll tell Dad about."  
  
"About what?" asked Mr Weasley as he went to see what the commotion was about.  
  
"Nothing. nothing." the boys hastily replied as they tried to block the computer out of Mr Weasley's view.  
  
"Hmm. I know the symptoms! It's the 'I'm trying my best to hide something from my old Dad' disease. Now boys, why don't you let me investigate?"  
  
The boys had no choice but to step aside, revealing the masterpiece.  
  
"What's that? Oh my. that. that's a Muggle computer!" he exclaimed excitedly. "Isn't that the old and rusty one I dumped in the attic last summer? You mean you boys set it up? You are so smart! I can't believe it! Fred, George, Ron. I congratulate you for your brains! You must teach me how to use it!"  
  
The boys told him about how they had set up the computer, connected to the internet, and chatted to their friends almost everyday. Mr Weasley was extremely impressed.  
  
"Molly, come and look at the surprise the boys have for us!"  
  
The younger Weasleys turned green at the thought of endless lectures afterwards.  
  
Mrs Weasley appeared at the door. She took one glance at the computer and knew what was going on. For once, however, she did not yell at them, but instead muttered, "Really. 'accomplished'. males are really an intellectually-retarded species." and went away.  
  
Mr Weasley winked at the younger Weasleys. "Now boys, why don't you show your old Dad how to operate this?" 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
A week later, Fred was surfing the 'innernet' when he came across an interesting article.  
  
"Hey George, look at this!"  
  
"Fred, seriously, I didn't know you were into Muggle news and articles!"  
  
"Really, George, I must admit that Muggles are smart! Come and read this article, you git."  
  
Greatest Invention of the Year  
  
Scientists from England are proud to announce the greatest invention of all times. Made up by a group of 3 scientists who call themselves 'The Time Turners', Heather Minnite, Astee Ower and Graham Daye have managed successfully to create a Time Machine. During the experimental stages the Time Turners sent a laboratory rat to the Medieval Times, and the rat returned in a suite of armour. Later on, a robot with built-in features including a video camera have been sent to the future, and a video of the future of the human race was successfully captured. However, this Time Machine still needs to undergo a last stage of experiment. It will only be ready in the year 2010, and that's when you will be able to see your future. Scientists are currently carrying out the last stage of experiment in a deserted area near London. Trespassers are prohibited, so please leave these scientists in peace.  
  
"Hey Fred, it really seems like you have a very good idea. out with it!"  
  
Fred grinned mischievously. "Do you like to play matchmaker?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Don't be such a stupid prat. You know as well as I do that Ginny likes Harry, don't you?"  
  
"Yeah." George suddenly understood. "You want to find out who Harry marries in the future?" he asked incredulously.  
  
"Why not? Dear Ginny is our favourite sister - "  
  
"Only sister, you mean."  
  
Fred ignored him. " - and we must make sure she does not break her heart over someone she might not marry in the future."  
  
"But what if they end up getting married?"  
  
"Then we'll play matchmaker and get them together."  
  
"There's more to it, isn't it? I'm sure you are not that concerned about 'dear Ginny'."  
  
"Okay okay. You see, Angelina was hooked up with that Hufflepuff dude called Gregory Higgs. I want to see if they get together in the - "  
  
Fred didn't even get time to finish his sentence, and George was already doubling up and fighting back his laughter unsuccessfully.  
  
"You - you what? You want to - gasp - spy on - gasp - Angelina's fu - gasp - future? Hahahahahaha.. I - gasp - can't believe it! You are - gasp - swooning - gasp - over a - gasp - girl!"  
  
"Oh, shut up. You can't understand the feeling of love until you get caught up with it. Just wait till the day I find out who your girlfriend is. That's the time I get my revenge, dear twin. And you'd better shut up about my - "  
  
"Crush? Hahahahahahaha."  
  
Fred tactfully ignored his comment again. "- My secret, or else I'll tell everyone how you still hug that soft toy dragon and drool over it in your sleep."  
  
"Okay. I'll stop it - haha - I promise I won't tell anyone." George stifled a laugh.  
  
***  
  
"So, dear brother, how do you plan to find the Time Machine? You know, it's not ready yet; you really shouldn't try it."  
  
"Oh, shut up, George. You know as well as I do that it works perfectly well, and I know that you're practically dying to know your future too."  
  
"Okay, I guess you're right. But you don't even know where the Time Machine is! And it's made by Muggles, and Muggle inventions aren't really reliable anyway."  
  
"Why don't you quit acting like a cowardly girl and help me write a letter to Harry? We need to get the Marauder's Map."  
  
"What for?"  
  
"Do you have brains or not? Remember that time we handed the map to Harry, we didn't tell him that this map could show places outside of Hogwarts? You really are an idiot, George."  
  
"Okay, Fred, but hey, if I weren't angelic enough to clean the attic and stumble upon that Muggle computer, you wouldn't be here bossing me about like dear perfect Percy," George said sarcastically. "So, you want to get that map and find out where the Time Machine is located?"  
  
"Smart."  
  
***  
  
Dearest Harry,  
  
We are most absolutely sorry to disturb your not-so-wonderful holidays, but we would really like to borrow that Marauder's Map of yours for some days. Please send it to us using Hedwig (Errol will most probably just drop it into the sea or something. Thanks, amigo!  
  
Cheers,  
  
Gred & Forge.  
  
***  
  
"Okay. So the Time Machine is near us. That's quite a bit of luck!" exclaimed Fred.  
  
"Yeah, can you believe it? It's just behind our house, in that deserted spooky old house."  
  
"It's a good thing the Muggles can't see our house! They would be so shocked! Imagine, them wanting some peace and we interfering!"  
  
"I really think Muggles are stupid anyway."  
  
"No, they aren't!" Fred sided with the Muggles.  
  
"You know something, Fred? If you continue siding with the Muggles and speaking for them like Hermione does for those House-elves, you might even come up with something called SPIM!"  
  
"SPIM?"  
  
"Society for the Promotion of Intelligent Muggles! Really, Fred, don't be a copycat. A SPEW is already enough, let alone a SPIM!" He broke off into peals of laughter.  
  
"Oh shut up, George," Fred said hotly. "You know that I won't do anything like this. I'm merely stating the facts of life. Look at how those Muggles manage without magic! Sometimes it's really fabulous!" 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
Fred and George crept into the creepy old house. They wished they had an Invisibility Cloak like Harry. Fervently wishing that nobody was in the house, they slowly and quietly pushed open a door, revealing a gleaming silver machine. That was, obviously, the Time Machine. They gaped at the machine. Who would have thought that Muggles could make such magnificent machines without magic?  
  
Although they could not wait to see their futures, they did not want to be left stranded in the future either. Fred's sharp eyes caught a little instruction book on a table. He motioned to George about the book, and George tiptoed across the room and pocketed it.  
  
"Mission accomplished," whispered Fred.  
  
They suddenly heard voices in the living room. "Oh no, those Muggles must have returned. Why did they choose such an hour?" the twins thought.  
  
They quickly darted into a nearby cupboard and whispered quietly.  
  
"Fred, what do you think we should do now?"  
  
"I guess we'll wait till those people are gone. It's a pity we can't use magic during the holidays, or we would be able to put a memory charm on them!"  
  
"What if they discover us then?"  
  
"They don't know that we are wizards, but they might think that we are spying on their operation. They'll find that we've taken the instruction book and most probably sue us or something. I'm not sure about the Muggle laws."  
  
"Well, I guess if we really have no choice and it is an emergency, we would have to use the memory charm. If the Ministry of Magic finds out that we've used magic - which I'm sure they will - I guess we just have to deal with it. Maybe lie or something."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
***  
  
The twins hid in the cupboard for what seemed like ages.  
  
"The Muggles seem to be stuck in that place. Why can't they get out?" the twins thought.  
  
Unable to stand being stuck in the cupboard, the twins decided to go for it. They pushed open the door of the cupboard and dashed out of the house. The Muggles stared at them for a moment before one of them yelled, "Catch the spies!" Fred whipped out his wand and yelled, "Obliviate!" The Muggles stopped and their eyes slid out of focus, a dreamy look on their faces. The twins immediately ran back to the Burrow.  
  
"Whew! That was close!"  
  
"Well, it seems like we have no choice but to accept the Ministry of Magic's punishment."  
  
"I certainly hope that they didn't catch us. It seems like we were lucky - the letter usually arrives immediately and we haven't gotten any - "  
  
"Too late."  
  
A brown, tawny owl appeared in the skies, its silhouette gradually becoming bigger and bigger. George unlatched the window and the owl flew in, dropped a letter, and flew out again.  
  
Fred picked up the letter and opened it.  
  
Dear Mr Fred and George Weasley,  
  
We have received intelligence that a Memory Charm was used at a deserted area behind your place of residence this evening at nine minutes past six.  
  
As you know, under-age wizards are not permitted to perform spells outside school, and further spellwork on your part may lead to expulsion from said school (Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Under-Age Sorcery, 1875, Paragraph C).  
  
We would also ask you to remember that any magical activity which risks notice by members of the non-magical community (Muggles) is a serious offence, under section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlocks' Statute of Secrecy.  
  
Enjoy your holidays!  
  
Yours sincerely,  
  
Mafalda Hopkirk Improper Use of Magic Office Ministry of Magic  
  
"Wow, that was a long letter." Fred commented.  
  
"We'd better keep it out of Mum or Dad's sight."  
  
"Or Percy's. You know how he can be a tell-tale sometimes."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"What do you reckon we do now, then?"  
  
George grinned. "Well, there's only one thing we can do now, isn't there? Let's examine the instruction book."  
  
***  
  
"Now, let's see, the blue button brings us to the past."  
  
"And the purple one to the future."  
  
"We will only be able to travel through time in England."  
  
"And we choose our destination by pressing the correct buttons on the left panel."  
  
"During the journey through time, the red light will be blinking."  
  
"And when we've arrived at your destination, the green light will be blinking."  
  
"Well, that's a lot of instructions to remember."  
  
"And we must remember not to bring back anything from the past or future."  
  
"Because that will disrupt the passage of time, whatever that means."  
  
"And if the machine detects any item from the past or future, we will not be able to get back to the present."  
  
"We will be able to walk around our destination, but we can't go 10km away from the machine."  
  
"Because if that happens we will not be able to get back to the machine on time when our time slot is up."  
  
"And we will each be given a watch."  
  
"Which will show our distance from the machine and the time left to explore."  
  
"And when time is up."  
  
"We press the glowing red button on the watch."  
  
"And we will appear in the time machine immediately to travel back to the present."  
  
"And we press the orange button with the word 'present' to get back."  
  
"And we will appear back where our journey started."  
  
"And when we are in the past or future."  
  
"We will not be able to speak to anybody during that time."  
  
"And we will appear invisible to everybody there! Now that's interesting. I didn't know Muggles knew those kinds of spells."  
  
"That's why, George! I told you Muggles are smart and you didn't believe me."  
  
"Ohhhhhh. Fred! Don't start that SPIM thing again! You and Hermione will make a fine pair, what with SPEW and SPIM!"  
  
"I didn't start SPIM! You were the one who gave it a name!"  
  
"But you were the one who started protecting those intelligent Muggles who are in fact not intelligible at all!"  
  
"George! MUGGLES ARE SMART! ADMIT IT AND STOP ACTING LIKE AN IDIOT! I'M SURE DAD AGREES WITH ME! LOOK AT HOW THEY LIVE WITHOUT MAGIC!"  
  
"ME ACTING LIKE AN IDIOT? NOW LOOK WHO'S ACTING LIKE AN IDIOT! AND MUGGLES CAN LIVE WITHOUT MAGIC BECAUSE THEY ARE TOO DUMB TO KNOW THAT MAGIC EXISTS! THEY ARE SIMPLY TOO - "  
  
"What are you guys quarreling about?" Charlie, who had just returned home for vacation, heard their squabbles and went up to their room to calm them down.  
  
"HE THINKS HE'S SO SMART!" yelled Fred.  
  
"HE IS A MUGGLE-LOVER!" yelled George.  
  
"Okay, boys, calm down. You two are the best of friends, right? What happened?"  
  
Fred and George scowled and sat down on the bed with their arms crossed, backs turned away from each other.  
  
Charlie sighed. He silently wished that the twins would both stop acting like idiots and just grow up. Even Ron, who was younger, was more sensible and kept his temper for most things. The quarrel reminded him of one he had with Bill. They had a cold war for a month - it was over a girl - and they only made up when they found out that the girl had cheated on both of them. The next month, both of them were kept busy playing tricks on the girl, and ignoring all her shrieks and curses. Now, his twin brothers were facing the same dilemma. What could he do?  
  
His eyes wandered around the twins' room, and he caught sight of a little book on the table. Thinking that it was a book of tricks, he reached for it and flipped it open, hoping that he could find some tricks to play on himself to cheer up the twins. "The things I am willing to do for my brothers!" he thought, shaking his head.  
  
He scanned through the book, only to find that it was filled with instructions with occasional phrases like "press the purple button", "pull the big lever", or "wait till the green light starts blinking". Curiously, he was about to flip to the front page and find out what the book was for when the twins jumped to their feet and snatched the book away.  
  
Fred scowled. "You can't just read our stuff like that, Charlie!"  
  
"What's that book for anyway?"  
  
"It's really none of your business," George replied.  
  
"Are you guys ganging up on me?"  
  
The twins glanced at each other and grinned, thinking of how childish and stupid it was of them to quarrel like two over-aged babies.  
  
"Yeah!" The twins then threw a dungbomb at Charlie and shoved him out of their room.  
  
"Best friends and twins again?" Fred asked, sticking out his hand.  
  
"Why not?" George shook his hand and grinned. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
"Are you ready, George?"  
  
"Yup. Let's go!"  
  
The twins were practically bursting with excitement.  
  
They had used the Marauder's Map to make sure that nobody was in the deserted house before creeping in it quietly. They located the machine very quickly, then went inside it into the control center.  
  
The time machine was simple to operate with very few controls. Having familiarised themselves with the locations and functions of various coloured buttons, the twins pressed the 'START' button.  
  
The computer screen in front of them immediately flickered and was turned on.  
  
(C: Computer; T: Twins)  
  
C: Future or Past?  
  
T: Future (the twins pressed the purple button)  
  
C: Please enter the year you want to visit.  
  
T: 2010.  
  
C: Please enter your destination.  
  
T: England, London, the Burrow area  
  
C: Please choose the number of hours you would like to spend exploring in the future.  
  
T: 12 hours.  
  
C: Please confirm your choices by pressing the 'Future' button again.  
  
The twins looked at each other, took a deep breath, and confirmed the choices. They felt a heavy wind sweeping them off the ground, and were knocked unconscious almost instantaneously.  
  
***  
  
The twins stirred. They rubbed their eyes and woke up, finding themselves lying in the garden of the Burrow. "We must have made it!" they thought.  
  
They gave each other thumbs-up and stood up.  
  
"Do you suppose we are invisible to those people?"  
  
"Maybe. We should really test it!"  
  
"Yeah, let's go into the house."  
  
In the house, the Weasley family was having breakfast. The twins were shocked to see Hermione (who looked extremely grown-up and pretty) there, sitting beside Ron (who was taller but more muscular) in her nightdress and enjoying her breakfast thoroughly. They were even more shocked to see her give Ron a little kiss and whisper something into his ear. Ron grinned and turned to Ginny. The twins stared at Ginny. She had grown up to be a very beautiful young girl, more slender and attractive. Curious to hear what the secret was, the twins walked over to them and tried to eavesdrop. They almost jumped out of their skins when Ginny turned to them and said, "Hey Fred, George! I thought both of you were on holiday? Why did you come back acting like you were fifteen or sixteen?"  
  
"Oh no! Why can they see us? We are supposed to be invisible! Something must have gone wrong! Oh no, now we are in deep trouble." thought the twins.  
  
"Er. no. erm. we just. erm." Fred stammered.  
  
"Made a 'Make-yourself-younger Potion'!" George continued.  
  
"Yeah! That's it! The reverse of the ageing potion, remember?" Fred exclaimed, playing along.  
  
"Yeah, we feel that it will be fun to. erm. be younger for the holidays. So we. erm. lied to you guys about the holiday thing and came back when we finally made the potion! Yeah!" George said.  
  
"Oh." Ginny eyed them suspiciously.  
  
"Erm. what's Hermione doing here? And where's Mum?"  
  
"Are you okay, Fred? Don't you remember? Hermione's engaged to Ron! And Mum's on holiday with Dad to Egypt to visit Bill, so they're all not at home!"  
  
Ginny put her hand to Fred's forehead and felt his temperature. "Are you guys sure you are alright? Are there any side effects to the potion?"  
  
"Yeah, some of your memory goes." Fred jumped at the opportunity to account for their weird behaviour.  
  
"Oh, I see. That's why. Really, Fred! How can you just take a potion you have made like this? I suppose George has also lost some of his memory, hasn't he?"  
  
"Yes, Ginny, stop being a know-it-all. Where's Harry, anyway?"  
  
"Harry?" Ginny blushed.  
  
"Harry is staying at Sirius' place nearby," Hermione answered.  
  
"Sirius? Sirius Black? The madman?"  
  
"He's not a madman," Ron snapped. "He's Harry's godfather, and he is not guilty of any crime anymore. Don't you remember these stuff, Fred, George? Remember that time Pettigrew was caught? Really, I think I prefer you older. You really sound like ignorant little kiddies. After Sirius was freed, he built a house nearby and Harry went to stay with him. You can visit him now if you like, and regain some parts of your memory by the way."  
  
"Oh, okay." Things sure are getting complicated. Why is Harry staying with Sirius Black? I thought he escaped from Azkaban and was a wanted murderer? And he killed 13 people with one curse too! Things are weird. The twins were getting more and more confused.  
  
"Is dear Ginny being caught up in a relationship with somebody?" George asked with a twinkle in his eye.  
  
"I. er." poor Ginny stuttered and blushed furiously.  
  
"Who's the lucky young man who took away the heart of our dear little sister?" asked Fred, pretending to be very concerned.  
  
"Oh stop it, you guys. You know perfectly well, as I do, that Harry likes Ginny. Why else do you suppose that he visits us everyday and persuaded Sirius to find a place nearby?" Hermione said.  
  
"Really?" George smirked. "So will he be here today or will he forget to come and leave Ginny's heart broken or will he - "  
  
"Shut up, George." Harry's voice said.  
  
The twins whirled around to find Harry stepping out of the chimney. Ginny leaped up and helped Harry to brush off the soot on his clothes, while the twins stared. Harry had definitely grown a lot taller, and he was very handsome, with his even more greenish eyes and messy tufts of jet-black hair. He was holding a rose in his left hand, and a tiny box with tiny pink flowers on it in his right hand.  
  
"Hi, Harry," the twins muttered, staring at Harry unbelievably. Before they could even think of anything else to say, Harry was already on his knee. He gazed at Ginny and said, "Ginny dear, will you marry me?"  
  
***  
  
The twins gaped at them unbelievably, while Ron and Hermione glanced at each other and smiled, giving a look that plainly said, "It's about time they got together!"  
  
The twins, who still haven't recovered from the shock of being visible to their friends and family were even more shocked at Harry's proposal. To them, Ginny was still their baby sister. And here was Harry proposing to her! They looked at Ginny for her reaction.  
  
Ginny's eyes filled with tears, she trembled, and then fell crying into Harry's arms.  
  
"Why, Ginny! What's the matter?" Harry was startled.  
  
"I'm just so. so happy! I really. don't know what. what to say! I love you, Harry!"  
  
"So do I. oh Ginny. please stop crying! You scared me just now, I thought you were going to say no!"  
  
"Ewwwwwwwww." thought Fred and George. They tore their eyes away and turned back to Hermione, while Harry disentangled himself from Ginny and murmured some comforting words to her.  
  
"Hermione," Fred began tactfully.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Since I have some memory problems, you know, because of that potion, can you help me by answering some of my questions?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Well, to begin with, where's Angelina?"  
  
"You really should ask George that."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because he just proposed to her a few days ago and she agreed."  
  
"I - I did?" spluttered George. Fred glared at him.  
  
"How could you? You know perfectly well that - "  
  
"Fred! You also proposed to Alicia! And she agreed! And it was all on the same day as George too - you guys reckoned proposing was a twin thing!" Hermione practically shrieked. Then she stomped up to Ron's room and slammed the door shut. "How could they be SO forgetful? I really suspect they are playing a trick!" Hermione thought.  
  
Meanwhile, in the dining room, Ron was stuck in the middle of Fred and George and their relationships.  
  
"Fred! How could you?" George glared at Fred. (Alicia was George's girlfriend in the present)  
  
"And how could you do that too, George?"  
  
"Okay guys," interrupted Ron, "I know last time Fred liked Angelina and George liked Alicia, but that was like. so many years ago! When you guys were still at Hogwarts! But haven't you guys figured out your relationships? I thought you did, some days before the proposal!"  
  
"We did?"  
  
"Yeah! Fred, George, are you sure you are okay? I'm seriously worried for you! Why are you looking at me like that?"  
  
"Where does Angelina stay?" asked Fred.  
  
"Where does Alicia stay?" inquired George.  
  
"I'm not telling." Ron crossed his arms. "I can't help it if you can't even remember these things! You should really blame yourselves for trying out that dumb potion and losing all your memories!" Ron stomped up to his room, obviously deeply affected by Hermione's mood too.  
  
Fred and George sighed. Things in the future were definitely more complicated than in the present. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
"Okay, I want to find out where Angelina lives."  
  
"And I want to find out where Alicia lives."  
  
"It's a good thing we brought the Marauder's Map with us!"  
  
Fred and George sat under a tree near the Burrow. They still had about 2 hours left to roam in the future.  
  
"Hey look! Alicia and Angelina are moving towards."  
  
"The Burrow! You mean they are coming here?"  
  
"Oh no! It's already too bad that we aren't invisible, something must have went wrong! And now they are coming to see us? Imagine what will happen if we just disappear! It means that we have to receive them at the Burrow!"  
  
"Sigh. What should we do, George?"  
  
"Well, I don't know! It was actually your idea to come here, so you should be the one solving it."  
  
"Hey! How can you do this to me? You were part of this whole idea too!"  
  
"But you were the one who saw this absolutely stupid time machine! YOU WERE THE ONE WHO WANTED TO SEE WHO YOU HOOKED UP WITH IN THE FUTURE!" George bellowed.  
  
"Are you guys quarreling again?" a voice gently asked.  
  
The twins whirled around to find Angelina and Alicia staring at them.  
  
"You guys really look a lot younger," said Angelina.  
  
"Are you trying to remember the old times?" asked Alicia.  
  
"Hermione said they had some memory losses because of the potion," said Angelina.  
  
"I thought you two had reached an agreement not to quarrel anymore? Don't you remember that? Or has the potion caused you to forget all about it?"  
  
Alicia slipped her hand into Fred's. Fred jumped away and stared at her.  
  
"Fred!" Alicia said angrily, obviously provoked by Fred's hostility.  
  
"George, what's happening here?" Angelina asked.  
  
"Erm, nothing, Angelina dear." George thought he might as well act more convincingly since Fred almost screwed up the whole thing. He put his arm around Angelina. Angelina smiled at him, while Fred glared at him with invisible smoke coming out of his ears. Then he thought of the sweetest revenge he could have.  
  
"Hey Alicia darling, I'm really sorry. I'm sure I'll never quarrel with George from now on." Fred gave Alicia a hug, while she kissed him on his nose.  
  
"I'm really glad you guys have agreed not to quarrel anymore," she whispered.  
  
It was George's turn to fume.  
  
"Now why don't you girls go into the house while Fred and I discuss something?" George looked positively daggers at Fred.  
  
Oblivious to the twins' rivalry, Angelina and Alicia went into the Burrow to talk to Hermione about Love Potions.  
  
"Look, Fred, Alicia's my girl, so I don't think - "  
  
BEEP! Fred and George were startled, and they only calmed down when the found the source of the loud beep. It came from the watches they had on their wrists, which they did not really notice at first.  
  
"Oh no, only 5 more minutes to go back to the present! We'd better rush back!" exclaimed Fred.  
  
The horrible thoughts of being left stranded in the future united the twins. They pressed the glowing red buttons on their watches and were knocked out almost immediately.  
  
***  
  
"Ouch." the twins stirred. They opened their eyes and looked around them, only to find themselves in the Time Machine. They walked out of it and discovered that they were in the spooky house in the present. Glad that they were finally back to the present, they smiled and were about to walk out of the house when the three scientists, Heather Minnite, Astee Ower and Graham Daye, towered over them. They were discovered again.  
  
"Uh-oh." whispered Fred.  
  
"Do we modify their memories again?" whispered back George.  
  
"If we do we'll be expelled!"  
  
"We may be able to explain. We could say that we were exploring but Muggles found us so we had to modify their memories."  
  
"Muggles?" Heather Minnite interrupted. "Don't tell me."  
  
"Are you wizards?" Astee Ower asked.  
  
"How - how do you know?" gasped the twins.  
  
The three scientists smiled. "Because we're wizards too!" they exclaimed in unison.  
  
"You - you are?"  
  
"Yeah! So, what school do you go to?"  
  
"Erm, Hogwarts." Fred answered.  
  
"Really? I went there too!" said Heather Minnite.  
  
"Oh, I went to Durmstrang," said Astee Ower.  
  
"I was in Gryffindor. So was Heather," said Graham.  
  
"Really? Wow, do you remember the Fat Lady?" asked George. The twins finally recovered from their shock.  
  
"Yeah, she's quite cute, not at all fat at that time," said Graham, a dreamy look on his face.  
  
"Oh well, you'll be disappointed. She's really fat now," said Fred. He continued, "Anyway, you mean the time machine works by magic? That's why you guys are working in a deserted area so that Muggles won't find out?"  
  
"That's about right. We saw your house but we thought it was Muggle! That's why we did our experiments here, not knowing that wizards live nearby!"  
  
"So we actually apparate? Into another time?"  
  
"Yes, this machine actually works by the concept of the Time Turner. I'm sure you've heard of it?"  
  
"Yeah, our friend Hermione used it to go to all her lessons - she signed up for all the subjects you see."  
  
"Hmm. you were thinking of the Memory Charms, weren't you?"  
  
"We thought you were Muggles." muttered George.  
  
"Well, if the Ministry knows, they'll expel you! But I thought they would give a warning first. don't tell me you've modified our memories before?" gasped Heather Minnite.  
  
"Yeah." murmured Fred.  
  
Astee Ower sighed. "You kids really will do anything to get out of this trouble, huh? So I suppose you have seen your futures."  
  
"Yes, but we weren't invisible! And we could talk to the people in the future! Why is that so?" inquired George.  
  
"You must have forgotten to press the "Invisible" button before you set off," Graham grinned at them. "I did the same thing the last time too. Heather, Astee! Let's just let them go for once, on account of my mischief when I was still a little kiddie like them."  
  
"Okay then, we certainly don't want them expelled!" said Heather and Astee.  
  
They smiled.  
  
"Hey, we are not kiddies!" said Fred indignantly.  
  
"Proud to present the Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes!" said George.  
  
"You are Weasleys? Arthur and Molly's kids?" exclaimed the three scientists.  
  
"Yeah. please don't tell our parents about this!" begged Fred.  
  
"Okay. but we may pay them a visit. We are their great friends!" winked Heather.  
  
"Okay."  
  
"So, what are the Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes?" Astee motioned to them to sit down on a nearby sofa to chat comfortably.  
  
"Well, we like to invent joke stuff. Look, try this Canary Cream!" said Fred.  
  
Graham eyed it suspiciously, then popped it into his mouth. A few seconds later, he turned into a Canary, then back to human again.  
  
"Wow! Trick stuff! My favourite!" said Graham. "Are there anymore samples?" Graham was very excited.  
  
Heather and Astee groaned. Not jokes again!  
  
The twins pulled out some fake wands, more canary creams, ton-tongue toffees. while Graham gazed at it in wonder.  
  
"Hey! Why don't you sell some of these to me?"  
  
"Here's an order form. You can make duplicates of it yourself. Place your order by owl, send us the money, and we'll post you our products! Anyway, I think we'd better go now. Mum will be wondering where we are for ages!"  
  
"Okay then. Remember to send me the jokes when I place my order!" said Graham.  
  
"Bye, twins!" said Heather and Astee. "It's been a pleasure meeting you!"  
  
***  
  
Fred sighed. He couldn't believe he was going to marry Alicia in the future. Across the room, George was thinking of the same thing.  
  
"Well," started Fred. "I guess we'll have to just go on with our lives and accept what is ours."  
  
"Yeah," said George. "I guess Angelina's not that bad."  
  
"Alicia's not that bad either."  
  
"Do you remember the look on Ginny's face when Harry proposed?"  
  
"Oh my. hahaha! That was priceless!"  
  
"Yeah! Now what we have to do is to get them together!"  
  
"C'mon George, let's start planning!"  
  
The twins grinned at each other wickedly. 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
It was going to be the Christmas holidays in a week. Gred and Forge had just recovered from many months of teasing Harry and Ginny since the time they witnessed Harry's proposal to Ginny in the Future. They haven't told anyone about their encounter with the time machine, and everyone was surprised at the twins' sudden interest in getting Harry and Ginny together. They would write notes to the both of them, telling them to meet each other at midnight somewhere around the school; they would encourage Ginny to turn up and watch the Quidditch practices; they would send a Valentine's Day gift to Ginny, stating that it was from Harry. the list goes on. However, all these did not improve their relationship at all - it only resulted in their growing awkwardness when they were with each other. Ginny would blush furiously whenever she was within 5 metres of Harry, and Harry would try to avoid her at all costs. The twins were furious that absolutely nothing could be done to get them together. They were at breakfast, and they were just having a not-so-silent debate between themselves whether to get a break or not during the Christmas holidays (to revise and improve on their matchmaking plan) when Errol dropped a letter in George's pumpkin juice and fainted dead away on the breakfast table.  
  
George looked down at Errol indignantly, "Hey, can't you aim properly?"  
  
Fred, the more humane one, picked up Errol and examined him. "George, give him a break. You know how ancient Errol is, and look at how tired he is! I'll go up to the Owlery and get him recovered after we have read what Mum had written."  
  
George silently thought that perhaps Fred would establish a new society called SPIM (this time it stands for Society for the Protection of Inaccurate Messengers), but he decided against telling Fred about it. He did not want another argument with his twin. They were supposed to be united anyway.  
  
Fred carefully picked up the soaked letter from George's pumpkin juice, took out his wand, and muttered a charm. The letter became dry instantly. He then opened the letter.  
  
Fred and George dears,  
  
We're afraid we can't let you come home during the Christmas Holidays. You see, your father and I have decided to go on a trip to Paris. All my friends are having so many honeymoons and I really envy them! So your father decided to have this honeymoon with me to France, where we can enjoy ourselves without having to take care of you children. Do take care of yourselves and don't get into any mischief! And do keep a lookout on Ron and Ginny - make sure they are alright. We'll soon owl you with loads of pictures when we get back.  
  
Love from Mum.  
  
P.S. I've already written to Ron and Ginny so you don't have to tell them about it.  
  
"Wow." George muttered.  
  
"A honeymoon." Fred murmured.  
  
They looked at each other, and immediately erupted into peals of laughter.  
  
"Oh my, they're already parents and they're going for a honeymoon?" George exclaimed unbelieveably.  
  
"Mum really sounds like a love-struck little girl who is absolutely swept off her feet by Dad's love!"  
  
"Hmm. I wonder if Ginny will sound like that when she writes to us to tell us that she's going on a honeymoon with Harry?" asked George.  
  
Ginny, who was nearby, heard it and knocked over a glass of milk.  
  
Harry, who was also nearby, glared at the twins.  
  
The twins made a wise choice of shutting up, and proceeded to decide not to have a break during the holidays, but instead to make use of their Christmas holidays at Hogwarts with Harry to get the couple together. They looked at each other and grinned. "The Christmas holidays are going to be fun," they thought.  
  
***  
  
Hogwarts was deserted as almost everybody had gone home for the Christmas Holidays. The Weasleys and Harry were the only Gryffindors staying in Hogwarts for Christmas. The twins were in glee when they found that out. They knew that it was the perfect opportunity to get Harry and Ginny together. They also knew that Ron was the only obstacle. He seemed to be stuck to Harry, and wasn't bright enough to sense that the twins were trying to matchmake Harry and Ginny. To make things easier, the twins decided to tell Ron the truth. They pulled Ron into an empty classroom, and began their lectures.  
  
"You see, Ron, we have something really important to tell you." Fred began.  
  
"We need to inform you that we are trying to get Ginny and Harry together." George continued.  
  
"WHAT?!?" Ron bellowed. "YOU CAN'T! GINNY'S MY BABY SISTER! YOU CAN'T - "  
  
The twins hastily covered Ron's mouth. "Do you want everybody to know what we're doing?" George hissed. "Just shut up and listen to us, kid. It'll do you good."  
  
Ron opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, not knowing what to say. He ended up gaping at the twins, searching for an answer.  
  
"Okay. You see, last summer, we were searching the net and we found this article stating that scientists were developing and experimenting a time machine that can bring us to the future and back to the past."  
  
"We were curious about our futures, so we decided to find the Time Machine. We located it using the Marauder's Map - betcha didn't know that it can be used to map places outside of Hogwarts - and we found out that it was being experimented at this deserted house right behind our house."  
  
"So we went there, and went to our futures, and we happened to stumble upon this particular event of Harry proposing to Ginny."  
  
"And Ginny agreed?" asked Ron. His eyes were bulging out from his head.  
  
"Yep. What did you think? Ginny's not stupid you know. She likes Harry and Harry likes her and Harry is such a nice guy."  
  
"But Ginny's my baby sister and I can't let her marry my best friend!" Ron protested.  
  
"Ron," Fred began solemnly, "you have to stop thinking of Ginny as your baby sister. We'll all have to grow up one day and get married. Ginny won't be your 'baby sister' forever. She'll grow up! Besides, what do you think Harry will be thinking of when he finds out about you and Hermione?" Fred grinned.  
  
"What about me and Hermione?" Ron asked curiously.  
  
"Harry must be devastated when he finds out next time that you like Hermione." George said.  
  
"WHAT? ME AND HERMIONE?" Ron practically fainted.  
  
"Don't you like Hermione?" asked Fred.  
  
"Erm. me? Like Hermione? Forget it." Ron said with a note of uncertainty.  
  
"Hmm. who was the one who fought with Hermione when she dated Krum? Who was the one who saw Krum as an enemy instead of an idol? Who was the one who was soooooo angry about Hermione and Krum that he said that Hermione was 'fraternizing with the enemy'?" George asked.  
  
Ron was utterly defeated.  
  
"Okay. so I like Hermione in the future. But it's not like we are getting married or something, right?" Ron said, blushing.  
  
"Hmm. so ickle Ronniekins wants to know about him and Hermione! How interesting. " Fred grinned wickedly.  
  
"Oh shut up."  
  
"To say the truth, you did get engaged to Hermione in the future. You two were like two lovebirds, inseparable and snog-glish and - "  
  
"Shut up. Ok. I get your point. So I'm supposed to help you get Gin and Harry together right?"  
  
"Yes, you dunderhead. For a moment I thought you didn't have any brains." Fred said.  
  
"Okay, I'll help." Ron finally agreed.  
  
"Good. Now you'd better shut up about us looking into our future our else you won't be in one piece next time."  
  
"Fine. And you'd better shut up about me and Hermione too, or else I'll tell everyone about your 'adventure'."  
  
"Deal."  
  
***  
  
It was Christmas Eve and the dining hall looked simply beautiful. Professor Flitwick and Hagrid had put up all kinds of festive decorations, including a glowing Christmas tree. Since there were so few students staying at Hogwarts for Christmas, Professor Dumbledore made all of them eat with him at the High Table (where the teachers usually sat). When the delicious meal had ended, Professor Dumbledore stood up and everyone quietened down, waiting for him to speak.  
  
He looked around the table at the students. He smiled, and announced, "Since you are the few privileged ones who are staying at Hogwarts for this Christmas holiday, I'll let you all into a secret. We will be holding a Yule Ball this year again, for the senior students (fourth-year and above). I quote from Professor McGonagall, 'This is a time for you to let down your hair.'"  
  
At this point, a Hufflepuff girl giggled uncontrollably. She blushed and stopped immediately when she found everyone staring at her.  
  
Professor Dumbledore continued, "You are expected to enjoy yourselves, and refresh your minds to get yourselves ready for the exams! This idea was contributed by Professor Flitwick, who had received many complaints of headaches before the exams. He thought that it would be nice for you to enjoy yourselves before you strain your minds! Now, I've finished announcing. The other students will know about this after they return. Thank you."  
  
Professor Dumbledore sat back down. The students applauded. Everyone was cheering for Professor Flitwick, who looked extremely abashed.  
  
The twins turned their attention to Ginny. She was looking at Harry intently.  
  
The twins winked at each other and began making plans.  
  
***  
  
Meanwhile, Harry was extremely horrified. He hadn't expected another time of finding a girl to go out with. He would have tried asking Cho, but he thought that perhaps she would not want to attend the Ball. After all, she would be painfully reminded of Cedric Diggory. He turned to Ron, only to find him with a dreamy expression on his face. He was dreaming of dancing with Hermione at the Yule Ball.  
  
"Ron," Harry poked him. "RON!" Harry said, a bit louder than the last time.  
  
Ron was jerked awake.  
  
"What were you thinking of anyway?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, erm, nothing."  
  
"Who are you going with to the Ball?"  
  
"Hmm." Ron was back in seventh heaven.  
  
"Honestly, Ron, you've gotta help me! I can't be stranded for the Ball again."  
  
"You weren't stranded last year. You had Parvati. Maybe you can ask her again." Ron was not paying attention.  
  
"I'm not asking her again. We just can't communicate. It's hard making intelligent conversations with her."  
  
"Hmm." Ron didn't notice that he had his elbow in the plate of butter. He continued daydreaming.  
  
"Maybe I'll ask Hermione." Harry muttered.  
  
"WHAT?!?" Ron was finally awake. He glared at Harry.  
  
"Ron, keep quiet! Everyone's looking at us!" Harry hissed.  
  
"You're not going with Hermione." Ron hissed back.  
  
"What?" Harry was taken aback.  
  
"Erm. I mean. why would you want to go with Hermione anyway?" Ron went red.  
  
"Because she's the only girl I can speak to without blushing."  
  
"But. I. erm. I mean."  
  
The twins overheard their conversation and went over to rescue Ron. Fred whispered to Harry, "He likes Hermione."  
  
"Oh!" realisation dawned on Harry. "Oops. Okay, Ron, I'll ask someone else."  
  
"Hey, thanks. You're a great pal, Harry!" Ron cheered up considerably.  
  
"I really didn't know you liked Hermione."  
  
"But I do!" Ron was horrified at what he had just said. He hastily said, "I mean. I erm. Hermione's okay."  
  
"Hermione must be more than 'okay' to have made you like her."  
  
"Yep." Ron grinned. 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
  
"You know what, Fred? I reckon all these matchmaking aren't turning out well."  
  
"But we must succeed! We can't let the future down!!!"  
  
"That's why. So I've been thinking - "  
  
"Since when did you start thinking, George?" Fred smirked.  
  
"Shut up. To continue what I've been saying, I've been thinking of telling Harry to accept Gin."  
  
"He won't listen. Even if he does, he won't have the courage to ask Gin. And I sometimes wonder if Gin even has the courage to accept."  
  
"That's why we have to give the both of them lessons on love. We'll have to tackle the both of them."  
  
"I think we should try something before we talk to them. We'll just try the last straw."  
  
"What do you have in mind?"  
  
"You know, Ginny really wants to learn to ride the broomstick well. We've been giving her lessons but she isn't good enough. We all know it. What about telling Harry to teach her? You know, this way they can get closer and learn more about each other."  
  
"Hey, this is really a pretty good idea!"  
  
"Tomorrow's Friday, Christmas Day, and that's when we have flying lessons too. We won't tell anyone, but we'll tell Ron to scoot off tomorrow. Gin and Harry will then find themselves stranded on the Quidditch Pitch!"  
  
"And love will find a way." George smirked.  
  
Fred sighed. "The things we do for our dearest family," he muttered.  
  
***  
  
The next morning, Ginny and Harry DID find themselves stranded on the Quidditch Pitch. Ginny was sitting on the ground, while Harry was pacing up and down impatiently, occasionally glancing at his watch.  
  
"I guess we'd better start the practice without the rest of them. It seems like they have disappeared or something." Harry finally said.  
  
"Okay." Ginny replied.  
  
"So, erm, we can start flying." Harry said uncertainly.  
  
"Yeah." Ginny mounted the broom and kicked off the ground.  
  
Before long, both of them were flying, the wind sweeping their hair and caressing their cheeks. All the awkwardness between them had magically disappeared.  
  
"Ginny, try a Wronski Feint!"  
  
"But I can't! I'll crash!" Ginny protested.  
  
"Go on, it's fun!" Harry insisted.  
  
"I have no experience in it, Harry! I can't!"  
  
"Ok then. Can you land for a moment?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
Ginny landed and Harry hovered a few feet above the ground.  
  
"Climb on!" Harry motioned to Ginny.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Climb on! I'll do a Wronski Feint with you!"  
  
"I - " Ginny protested feebly.  
  
"Come on." Without waiting for Ginny to reply, Harry grabbed her and made her sit in front of him. Then he placed his hands around her and kicked off. He glanced at Ginny and found her blushing, and was suddenly jerked awake.  
  
"She's Ron's sister!" he silently reproached himself. "How can I get so close to her?" He glanced at Ginny again, and studied her in detail. He hadn't really seen her so closely before, and was surprised that he hadn't discovered her beauty earlier. Ginny had grown to be very pretty, her flaming red hair flying, her cheeks a rosy red, and her big brown eyes clear as water. Harry actually found himself attracted to her.  
  
"Prepare for the dive!" Harry said.  
  
And they dived. Ginny squealed in fright and Harry tightened his arms around her. Just as they were about to crash, Harry pulled out of the dive just in time.  
  
Ginny heaved a huge sigh of relief and smiled at Harry.  
  
"Whew! That was quite exciting. Thanks."  
  
"Welcome." Harry wasn't sure what to say. Then, a question just slipped out of his mouth.  
  
"Ginny? Will you go to the ball with me?"  
  
***  
  
The twins returned from Hogsmeade with Ron. They had first gone to the Quidditch Pitch, only to find nobody there. They returned to the Gryffindor common room and were worrying about the success of their plan when they were greeted by Ginny as they entered.  
  
"Hey, Fred, George, Ron! Where were you guys this morning? We were supposed to have Quidditch Practice, remember?"  
  
"We were? Oh, sorry! We forgot! We only remembered that it was Christmas so we went to Hogsmeade to shop." Fred feigned surprise.  
  
"So what happened, Gin? Did you practise as usual?" asked George cheekily.  
  
"Oh, erm, yes, we practised as usual." Ginny started blushing, then walked back to her dormitory to avoid other forms of teasing.  
  
Ron began to tackle Harry.  
  
"So, Harry, how was Quidditch practice with Gin?"  
  
"Yeah, it was quite okay." Ron noticed that Harry's eyes didn't quite meet his when he said that.  
  
"What happened, Harry, buddy pal? Tell me!" Ron insisted.  
  
Harry sighed. "Oh well, I asked Ginny to the Yule Ball." He blushed.  
  
"Really?" Ron and the twins exclaimed in surprise.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Oh, it's great! We've finally succeeded! Tell us, what exactly made you ask Gin to the Ball?"  
  
"Oh well, we were flying, then I asked Ginny if she wanted to try the Wronski Feint. She was scared, so I erm. I."  
  
"You what?" Ron asked impatiently.  
  
"We did the Wronski Feint together, and then I realised how beautiful and sweet she was and. the question just slipped out of my mouth! And I just asked her, before even realising what I was saying!" Harry blushed a bright red. "I hope you don't mind, do you? Cos you are Ginny's brothers, and." He looked at them anxiously.  
  
"Of course we don't mind! It's time for celebration!" George whooped. Fred threw sweets he had brought from Hogsmeade all over the place.  
  
"It's soooooo romantic." murmured Ron. "How do you suppose I can ask Hermione to the Ball? Harry, you HAVE to give me some tips. I'm at my wits' end!"  
  
"Hmm. I'm not a love expert. I suppose you could just ask her, couldn't you?"  
  
"Hmm. Maybe."  
  
***  
  
Meanwhile, Ginny was lying on her bed in the dormitory. She couldn't believe it! Harry had just asked her to the Yule Ball as a date, not as a last resort!  
  
She smiled to herself dreamily. She could already picture herself dancing with Harry in the Ball.  
  
It was hard to believe. She was just a little nobody, Ron's little sister, and Harry actually noticed her! When they were flying!  
  
When they were flying. Ginny blushed at the memory. Her heart leapt when she felt Harry's arms tighten around her, and she went a bright red when she felt Harry's warm breath on her neck. She felt herself flush hotly when she noticed Harry studying her. And he looked so cute when he asked her!  
  
Thinking of the wonderful memories, Ginny fell asleep almost immediately. In her dreams, she dreamt of him.  
  
***  
  
The Christmas holidays passed by, and Hogwarts was buzzing with life once again. Everyone (especially the girls) were very excited about the Yule Ball (which they had just learnt of). Ron had finally gotten the courage to ask Hermione to be his partner, and to his delight, she had agreed. Ginny and Harry were now officially a couple, even though they haven't totally gotten over all the blushing and stammering.  
  
It was finally the evening of the Yule Ball. Harry and Ron were waiting impatiently in the Gryffindor common room for Ginny and Hermione. Harry was extremely glad to see that Fred and George had kept their promises and bought new dress robes (dark-blue coloured with no frills or laces) for Ron.  
  
The two girls were getting ready together, and audible giggles could occasionally be heard from the girls' dormitory. After what seemed hours, the two girls finally emerged. Ginny had on dark-blue coloured robes, with ringlets of flaming hair resting on her shoulders, while Hermione was clothed in forest-green robes, with her hair piled up into an elegant French twist. The both of them looked really pretty, and Harry and Ron seemed to be mesmerized.  
  
The two couples danced the night away. For Harry and Ron, it seemed different from last year. They were dancing with people they liked, and they weren't dancing for the sake of dancing - they were dancing because they enjoyed it. Harry immensely enjoyed the feeling of having Ginny in his arms, her head rested on his shoulder. For Ron, the most magical moment was when Hermione admitted to him that she liked him. To Hermione and Ginny, that night was the most memorable of all. They would never forget it. 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
  
BAM!  
  
"Honestly, Fred, what on earth were you doing?" George eyed Fred with bright eyes while the latter attempted to pick up the boxes of Fake Wands on the floor.  
  
"Trying to move those fake wands?" Fred replied huffily.  
  
George rolled his eyes. "Call yourself a wizard, Fred?" He took out his wand, and with a swish and a flick, muttered a spell. The boxes hovered into the air and rearranged themselves into neat, organised stacks. George grinned triumphantly at Fred, who scratched his chin thoughtfully.  
  
"I didn't think of that."  
  
"That's the point. You don't think." George shook his head and opened the door of the Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes, their new joke shop located at Hogsmeade. He was immediately overwhelmed by swarms of students fighting to get to a box of Harry's Hullabaloos (a sweet that transformed the consumer into the famous Harry Potter for a few seconds - a tribute to Harry, who had provided the Weasley twins with gold needed to set up the joke shop), or a bag of Fluffy Foncetti (chocolate bars which make one spit out confetti upon consumption).  
  
"Ah, wonderful, isn't it? Booming business, as usual," commented Fred.  
  
"Wish Dumbledore would organise more Hogsmeade weekends," said George happily.  
  
Just then, a boy who was just about to leave the shop yelled as invisible hands at the door clamped him down onto a chair, while ropes flew around him, binding him down. The other shoppers stared in shock, while Fred shouted cheerfully, "Oh, don't mind him, the stinking Slytherin! Our anti- theft system has just been activated, that's all! Nothing much! Come on, continue shopping! He will be released 2 hours later, the thief!"  
  
George took over. "Canary creams here on sale, only 10 sickles each! What a bargain! Tickled Teardrops for only 12 sickles each! Get them while stocks last! Hey you," he pointed at a confused shopper, then motioned to a machine on his right which was busily collecting coins from the customers, "you can pay here!" The shopper, whom the twins recognised as a Hufflepuff, thanked him gratefully.  
  
The twins bustled here and there, while their Anti-theft Security System and Automatic Money-collecting System helped them out. Finally, as sunset approached and less customers appeared, they were able to sink into an armchair by the fireplace, too tired for words.  
  
"What a long day," said George as he wiped the sweat off his forehead.  
  
"I need a break," said Fred, his voice hoarse from all that shouting.  
  
"Definitely," George agreed.  
  
There was a moment of silence as the twins' minds filled with random thoughts. Fred visualised a table full of delicious dishes, while George thought of his comfortable bed. Meanwhile, flames in the fireplace cracked merrily as Burnell's Automatically Lit Lamps shone softly in the background. Handling a joke shop was no easy feat - even though it was much better than writing reports on leaking cauldron bottoms, training dragons in Romania, or even breaking fatal curses at Gringotts'.  
  
***  
  
Sundays meant free days, and free days meant that there was no joke shop to manage, no customers' bargains to handle, and no stocktaking to do. This suited the twins terribly, since they were too exhausted from all the work they'd done that week. It was most busy, and almost too irritating. The week began too pleasantly with a burglary at the joke shop. It was a clever case of theft which had tricked even their thought-to-be-invincible Anti- theft Security System. This made the twins extremely angry - they suffered a loss of 50 galleons, the brilliant anti-theft system that they had invented wasn't so brilliant after all, and they even had to close the shop for one day to improve on the system. Even the Department of Intelligence of the Ministry of Magic was unable to figure out who - or maybe what - had been behind the theft. It was too annoying. The twins grimly set about repairing and making amendments to the system, only to receive a letter from the Village Chief of Hogsmeade that all shops in the village would be closed on the following day for Major Enchantment Reviews, which meant a thorough check on all protection charms of all shops. This made the twins fume, and even a most soothing Alicia or Angelina was unable to calm down Fred and George. When they've finally decided to accept the facts and take the day off as a holiday, Hogwarts sent them an owl, telling them that their next Hogsmeade weekend for the students had been cancelled due to the "need for more time to prepare for the examinations". This infuriated the twins.  
  
"I can't believe they're doing this!" exclaimed Fred.  
  
"Our sales are rocketing downwards, it's not good," said George gloomily.  
  
Fred went on a major cursing rampage, filled with a wide range of vocabulary and flowery language. He cursed almost everyone, from Eldernon Pithfire, Hogsmeade's village chief who was always draped with excessive gold and expensive robes, to Old Sammy, the village tramp who delighted in scaring everyone by going around shouting "Wassup?" in people's ears. Most unfortunately, Molly Weasley chose to apparate in the joke shop at that moment, with the twins' lunches in one hand, and her wand in the other. The twins cowered under her glares and stares until her anger finally subsided.  
  
Fred and George have never been so glad for a break from work. Sunday was just what they needed - a time to stay at home, wake up late, eat home- cooked food and laze around, trying not to think of the Monday that was arriving soon. Things went just according to plan. They got sufficient sleep, and even managed to push their career to one dusty corner of their minds.  
  
In the afternoon, when Harry and Hermione arrived at the Burrow for lunch, they played a game of Quidditch. Hermione had insisted that she be part of the audience and nothing else. ("If you must know, I'm terrified of heights," she muttered.) Percy had to write a report on "The Durability of Quills", and rejected their not-so-well-intended invitation. ("Darn, I was hoping that a bludger would make him sort out his priorities. Isn't family supposed to be more important than career?" George shook his head in mock disappointment. "That report will be revolutionary, it will. Millions of people will be thanking Weatherby for that report, I'm so sure," commented Ron. "Well, he's just being committed to his work, that's all!" Hermione sided with Percy.) Bill was being whisked away by Mrs Weasley to a hairdresser. ("No, Mum, I'm not going!" cried an exasperated Bill.)  
  
It was during the middle of the game when Fred suddenly realised that he had forgotten something. He beckoned to George and the two of them speeded off to their room immediately, leaving the others behind, looking bewildered.  
  
"I can't believe I actually forgot!" Fred clapped a hand to his forehead.  
  
"Forgot what?" George scratched his head, trying to remember.  
  
"Honestly, George, you're so thick you could impersonate Crabbe or Goyle. Don't you remember that five years ago, at about this time, we went messing around with the time machine and got to look at our future?"  
  
George's eyes widened and he nodded. "We have to get away! We can't possibly stay here when our past selves suddenly appear here."  
  
"Yes. That's why I think we should go on a holiday, while we try to make ourselves scarce here."  
  
"A holiday? That's great! Fantastic! That's a great idea, we could finally take a long-awaited rest. I suggest going to Dormien Dotshead. It's a magical village in Scotland. I suppose we could also do a spot of advertising for our shop there. We could even consider setting up a store there!" said George.  
  
"Ah. Dear George has an ulterior motive!" Fred grinned evilly.  
  
"I-I do?" spluttered George indignantly.  
  
"Of course! I, for one, happen to know that Angelina is on holiday there," Fred smirked.  
  
George coughed hastily as his face reddened up to the tips of his ears. "R- really? I-I see."  
  
Fred laughed. "We'd better start packing. Looking at the state you're in, I'd better be the one to go and make arrangements for accommodation at Dormien Dotshead."  
  
George shrugged as Fred went out of the room. Then he suddenly remembered that he needed to bring something along on the trip. This would make things interesting. He went to his drawer and took out a circular package wrapped with brown paper, and stuffed it into his trunk.  
  
***  
  
"Ah. Talk about Hogsmeade having everything. Dormien Dotshead even has a beach!" Fred sighed contentedly as he looked out of the window of his hotel room. It overlooked the beach.  
  
George shoved Fred aside and stuck his head out of the window. "Wow," he murmured in an almost awed voice. "It's beautiful!"  
  
This was true. If anyone had ever been to Sleeping-giant Beach, they would never go to any other beach again. What made the beach so amazing and beautiful were not scantily clad women patrolling the beach, trying to attract attention, or wizard-made decorations hung everywhere. In fact, Sleeping-giant Beach had neither of those. It was the fine crystalline sand bathing in the Sun's golden rays, the clear, deep blue waves that gently swept the edges of the beach, and a mysterious and magical aura around it, authoritative, yet magnificent. It gave everyone a sense of "mess around with the beach and you're a goner". Everyone who went there simply enjoyed themselves, sunbathing or taking a refreshing dip in the cool waters. No one dared to litter or vandalise. No one was frivolous or flippant. It was almost like a holy place. Almost.  
  
"Wow," George murmured once more.  
  
Fred grinned. "Say 'wow' one more time, George, and Angelina's gonna be jealous. Real jealous. I daresay you've never even gaped at her this way."  
  
George glared at him and sighed. "But don't you think it's beautiful here? It seems like such a wonderful place. It's so peaceful and undisturbed, like the only place You-Know-Who can't even have power over."  
  
At the mention of Voldemort, Fred sobered. "I'm so glad that those dark times are finally over." A pained look flashed across his face.  
  
Harry Potter had defeated the Dark Lord in his seventh year. But Voldemort had already taken too many lives then.  
  
George glanced at his twin and knew what he was thinking of. "Don't think about Lee Jordan too much, Fred. It's all over. It's all history." He sighed, while Fred punched his fist on the table. "I hate You-Know-Who. I'm really glad he's gone forever. We all owe Harry a lot."  
  
"But Harry owes us one, too!" George's face brightened.  
  
"Ahh. Yes, of course," Fred continued, his face lighting up. He smiled wistfully, "The things we do for our dearest sister."  
  
"Our only sister, you mean."  
  
"Of course, you know me best."  
  
George pretended to sigh, arranging his expression into a dreamy one. "Oh, I love you, Harry!" He imitated Ginny's voice.  
  
"So do I. oh Ginny. please stop crying!" Fred threw himself completely into the role of Harry, and he pretended to wipe an imaginary tear from George's cheek.  
  
The twins erupted into peals of laughter. It was a pity they didn't have an audience - it would have been a more enjoyable performance then. Fred clutched at his stomach.  
  
"I-I still can't believe Harry's gonna propose to Ginny while we're on holiday! W-we really c-can't m-miss it!" Fred gasped.  
  
"Of course we can't miss it!" George grinned. "That's why I brought something here." he said in a sing-song voice, glad that he knew something more than Fred, for once.  
  
He rummaged through his trunk, as socks and shirts came flying into the air, strewn all over the room.  
  
"Watch it George, this supposed to be my room! Make sure you move all this stuff into your room!"  
  
"Okay, okay," George replied patiently. Finally, his head emerged victoriously beneath a pile of Ton-tongue Toffees, as he held a grubby package in his hand as if it were a trophy.  
  
"What's the ruddy package for?"  
  
"Ruddy? A ruddy package?" George sounded scandalised. Fred really reminded him of Harry, when they decided to bequeath the Marauder's Map to him. "This is a treasure I nicked from Dad's office! This," he pointed at the 'ruddy package', "is my prized possession!" he cried shrilly.  
  
"Okay, George, calm down! So what's in it?"  
  
George carefully ripped off the brown paper wrapping, and held a gleaming round mirror into the air. He paused dramatically, and dropped his voice into a low stage whisper. "This," he paused again, "is the Mirror of Apparitions."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
This was certainly not the response that George was expecting to get.  
  
"Merlins, Fred, do you read? No? Okay. This," he repeated, "is the Mirror of Apparitions. It allows us to look at what's happening in another place at the same time."  
  
"Oh!" Realisation hit Fred, who started grinning, "I see what you're getting at."  
  
"Yep." George tapped the mirror three times with his wand, and said clearly, "Apparendum - The Burrow". The twins waited with bated breath as a blur image on the mirror started swimming into focus. 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9  
  
"Cool!" Fred exclaimed as he watched the scene at the Burrow.  
  
George grinned proudly. "To think you called this RUDDY."  
  
Fred pointed at his younger self in the mirror. "Look! I miss those days, when we were still so ignorant, so innocent."  
  
George snorted.  
  
In the mirror, the Weasleys were having breakfast. Hermione and Ron were engaged in an earnest conversation, while the twins were trying to sneak up to Ginny, thinking that they were invisible.  
  
"How stupid we were!"  
  
"We weren't stupid, we were just too careless to forget to press the Invisibility Button, that's all!"  
  
"No! In that case, we weren't the ones who were careless. The Time Turners forgot to include that in the manual. That's why we didn't know!"  
  
"Excellent logic, Fred!"  
  
When the twins were entirely satisfied with their conclusion, they turned their attention back to the mirror. They saw themselves trying to make up an excuse for their untimely appearance. They were supposed to be on holiday at Scotland after all.  
  
Fred tried not to laugh. "A Make-Yourself-Younger Potion?" He snorted. "Everyone knows there's no such thing! I can't believe they are so gullible!"  
  
"Shut up, Fred. Look. Harry's gonna propose to Ginny. Ah. But wait, before that, we are going to tease Ginny! Look!"  
  
The twins laughed as poor Ginny blushed and stammered and Hermione stood up for her. Then Harry appeared at the Burrow by Floo Powder.  
  
"Ginny dear, will you marry me?"  
  
Ginny's eyes filled with tears, and she fell into Harry's arms. Hermione and Ron simply looked pleased.  
  
"Why, Ginny, What's the matter?" an extremely startled Harry asked.  
  
*switch to the twins in Scotland*  
  
"She's happy, you prat!" exclaimed Fred.  
  
"Can't you see it? It's so obvious!" George shook his head.  
  
*back to the mirror*  
  
I'm just so. happy! I really. don't know what to say! I love you, Harry!"  
  
"So do I. oh Ginny. please stop crying! You scared me just now, I thought you were going to say no!"  
  
*switch to the twins in Scotland*  
  
Fred and George looked disgusted. "Ewwww." They couldn't help having the same thoughts even though this wasn't the first time they witnessed the proposal.  
  
"Ah. Now we're going to find out about Angelina and Alicia. Then Hermione's gonna get so fed up with us! Then she's going to say," Fred mimicked a high- pitched voice, "'Fred! You also proposed to Alicia! And she agreed! And it was all on the same day as George too - you guys reckoned proposing was a twin thing!' Well, I still reckon it is," he grinned.  
  
The twins could well remember the day they proposed to their sweethearts. They had never been so nervous before. Never. They were always composed before exams, never affected by the stress their peers so inevitably felt. Well, perhaps the only time they felt worse than this was when they learnt of the news that Ginny was taken into the Chamber of Secrets. But no, it wasn't really nervousness then. It was just plain anger, anger at the heir of Slytherin, and anger at themselves for not fully undertaking the role of a big brother before that. They could still remember the time before they proposed. No one, except for their mother, could figure out the cause of the twins' unusual fidgeting and their stutters. They were always confident, or they tried to be. The rush of relief was too great to be described when Alicia and Angelina agreed to marry them. It felt like a great load was being taken off their shoulders.  
  
"Mission accomplished." George tapped the mirror and said, "Apparendum Finitos." The image swirled and disappeared.  
  
"Wonderful thing you've got there, George! At least we got to see what's happening there. I can finally put my mind at rest," commented Fred.  
  
George suddenly wailed. "Fred! I just realised something. Angelina's not here at Dormien Dotshead! I mean, we saw them at the Burrow in the future last time, remember?"  
  
Fred clapped a hand to his forehead. "Oh yes, I forgot! But my sources told me that."  
  
George cut him off. "Either your sources are inaccurate, or she went back halfway through her trip here." George sighed. "Darn. I wanted to give her a surprise."  
  
Fred chuckled. "Well, you sure gave her a surprise at the Burrow, when we appeared five years younger."  
  
***  
  
The twins walked about the streets of Dormien Dotshead, fascinated. Sleeping-giant Beach was only the first of their surprises. Nested within Darlington Lane, which was something like a slightly smaller version of Diagon Alley, were shops of all shapes and sizes (literally), selling all kinds of magical things. They passed by a "Judy and Jane's Multipurpose Jumpers" store, a round-shaped "Rivers' Rollingstone Records", and were glad that they did not see a joke shop at all. That meant that this busy little town will be the best place to set up a new branch of Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. They were just passing by "Quimby's Quidditch Quirks", when a burly customer who was admiring his new broomstick collided into them.  
  
"Ouch!" the wizard picked himself up and frantically checked his broomstick for signs of damage.  
  
"Hey! Watch it!" Fred said crossly. "Can't you see where you're - " he broke off halfway, gaping at the wizard. "Oliver!"  
  
The wizard glanced at the twins, startled. "Fred! George!" His face broke into a grin. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Oh, we're on holiday," replied George. "Great to see you here, Oliver. Never knew you lived here!"  
  
"Yep," Oliver said proudly. "My hometown, Dormien Dotshead. My house is at Bridget Estate. Feel free to pop in anytime! This place is wonderful, isn't it?"  
  
"Never heard you talk about it at Hogwarts though," said Fred, grinning.  
  
"Yeah, the only things you ever said were Quidditch, Quidditch, and Quidditch. You were never much of a talker, Oliver."  
  
"Except during Quidditch practices - "  
  
" - or before matches - "  
  
" - or after matches, perhaps - "  
  
"Oh shut up."  
  
The twins shut up, but not for long. Their attention was diverted by the gleaming mahogany broomstick Oliver was holding.  
  
"Whoa, don't tell me that is a - " started Fred.  
  
" - a Galaxy Glider?" whispered George incredulously.  
  
Oliver nodded, beaming.  
  
"Oliver! That broomstick's probably worth 500 galleons!" Fred said faintly.  
  
Oliver couldn't stop beaming.  
  
Fred turned to George. "I have a feeling he's not telling something."  
  
Oliver laughed. "Well, I'll tell you now, then. I bought this broomstick with some help from the Quidditch Funds-providing Association and my first official paycheck. I'm playing keeper for Puddlemere United now, no longer a reserve."  
  
The twins stared in surprise, then started babbling in excitement.  
  
"Congratulations, Oliver!" Fred tried to shake Oliver's hand pompously, in a manner similar to Percy's sometimes. "Very, very nice meeting you!"  
  
George shoved Fred aside and shook Oliver's hand vigourously. "Spiffy! May I please have an autograph, Mr Wood? Name is Gred, Mr Wood, Gred Weasley, can't tell you how excited I am to meet you at last!"  
  
"Stop it, you two," Oliver responded. "Not much of a change, eh? Still the same old mischief-makers. Jessie's been telling me all about the success of your joke-shop at Hogsmeade. Well, good for you! But I've always thought that you would make a superb pair of beaters. I was hoping that you would try out for a position in an international team, you know, like the Kerfuffle Kookaburras, or the Guardian Finches. The Exotic Eagles would also be a good choice, since it is ABSOLUTELY CLEAR that your skills are much better than their beaters, once honed up, of course. But of course, in my opinion, the best team would be - "  
  
"Oh stop it, Oliver," Fred pretended to blush.  
  
"You're embarrassing us!" said the twins in unison.  
  
"And you're still as crazy about Quidditch as ever," quipped George.  
  
"Old habits die hard," added Fred.  
  
"And who's Jessie, by the way?"  
  
"Oh," Oliver blushed slightly. "You mean Jessica Rivers? She's my - "  
  
"Wait a minute," interrupted George.  
  
"You don't mean JESSICA RIVERS?" Fred frowned, thinking hard.  
  
"Jessica Rivers, Puddlemere's seeker?"  
  
"The brainy and pretty one?"  
  
"The raven-haired girl with brown eyes that can pierce right through you when scrutinising people?"  
  
"The one who used to be our neighbour?"  
  
"Our childhood friend, Jessica?" the twins chorused.  
  
"The only one who can defend herself against the Weasley twins' pranks? Yes, I think you mean me," greeted a female voice.  
  
The twins whirled around to find themselves face-to-face with a young woman in her early twenties, wearing snug Muggle clothes - a lilac op, light grey pants, and a pair of sneakers. There was a wide grin on her face that bore a faint resemblance to that of the twins', and she spoke with a slight Irish lilt.  
  
"Jessica!"  
  
The twins charged towards her, flung themselves on her, and Jessica found herself muffled by two over-sized, bright-coloured parrots in no time.  
  
"Argh! Get off me! I know you missed me, and you haven't seen me for years, but you don't need to be so. welcoming!" yelled a strangled Jessica.  
  
Fred and George just stood there, wearing identical grins on their faces.  
  
"What are you doing here?" asked Fred curiously.  
  
"Did you actually move here? Everyone was really surprised that you and your family just moved away without any notice at all. We tried all means possible to contact you, but we just failed!"  
  
"Oh." Jessica's eyes suddenly clouded over. The twins had an impression that Jessica was trying very hard not to cry, but they said nothing. Oliver took Jessica's hand and forced some cheerfulness into his voice, "Come on, let's go to my house. I'm sure we have loads of catching up to do."  
  
With that, the four of them set off to Bridget Estate, an awkward silence ringing around them.  
  
***  
  
The twins settled themselves comfortably on a couch and looked around 15 Bridget Estate. It was a house with a Georgian style, two storeys high, classical yet simple. Flames cracked merrily in the fireplace, their crimson bright colours matching the mahogany furniture. The twins couldn't help feeling at home at Oliver's quaint living quarters.  
  
Jessica sat down in an armchair by the fireplace, and silence swept across the room, an indication for Jessica to start her narration.  
  
"One night, while I was still living beside you two," she pointed at Fred and George, "my dad died."  
  
She paused for a moment, trying to recall some facts.  
  
"That was before I even went to Durmstrang." She noticed the twins wince, and added quickly, "It's not a bad school, you know, if you have self- discipline and all that. It's true that we learn quite a lot about the Dark Arts, but we don't go all bad just because of that. Besides," she continued sniffily, "I don't think most of the students there are half as bad as those Slytherins from Hogwarts." She grimaced. "From what I've heard from friends who went to Hogwarts, like Oliver, the Slytherins are really an unpleasant and unbearable lot." The twins nodded their heads vigourously.  
  
She continued, "Back to the story. As I said, Dad died, but Mum didn't want the whole world to know, so we moved to Scotland almost immediately, without a word." Her usually expressive eyes were empty, betraying none of her feelings. "That's why I'm here now," she ended curtly.  
  
She took her cup of tea and drank from it, shielding her face from her audience.  
  
"B-but. but how? Why?" Fred stared at her.  
  
Jessica bit her lip. Oliver could see her clenching and unclenching her fists on her lap.  
  
Oliver started, "Don't ask so much, Fred. Some things are better left untold - "  
  
"He got killed. Killed by the Dark Lord," she spoke slowly with a trembling voice, "He was an active Auror, and he capture many Death Eaters. But he still died in the hands of his enemy. My mum decided that publicity was not what we needed. N-neither was pity. That's why." her voice trailed off as the floor suddenly became very interesting. As much as she tried to control herself, drops of tears still leaked out of her soft brown eyes onto the floor. Before she knew it, she was sobbing uncontrollably onto Oliver's shoulders.  
  
"Er - Jessie?" asked George.  
  
"W-we're sorry." said Fred gently.  
  
"We really didn't know."  
  
The twins glanced at Jessica helplessly.  
  
"It's o-okay." came Jessica's muffled voice. She dried her tears, blew her nose, then looked apologetically at the twins.  
  
"Sorry for that outburst. just that. I haven't really cried for years. I guess it was good to let it all out. So sorry, Oliver." She gave a weak smile, then composed herself once again.  
  
"So how are your parents and siblings now?" she asked, changing the subject.  
  
"Oh, they're fine, don't you worry about them. Mum and Dad are still a loving couple, they enjoy going on honeymoons," said Fred, snickering.  
  
"Percy is married to Penelope Clearwater, and he's totally obsessed with his work. He's under the Department of International Magical Co-operation in the Ministry of Magic," grinned George.  
  
"Charlie's still working with dragons in Romania, Bill's breaking curses at Gringotts," Fred ticked off names with his fingers, "and Mum's annoyed at them because they haven't got girlfriends. Or so she thinks."  
  
"Ron's engaged to Hermione Granger, his supposedly best friend at school, and both of them are training with Ginny and Harry to become Aurors." George noticed the question look on Jessica's face and explained simply, "Harry Potter. I think he just proposed to Ginny a few hours ago this morning."  
  
"And you two?" Jessica's eyes sparkled mischievously.  
  
Fred and George stammered and coughed, their faces reddening.  
  
"Er - us? What about us? There's nothing interesting about us!" Fred's face turned into a crimson shade of red.  
  
"You know, things like your career, your love life." Jessica smirked.  
  
"Uh - um."  
  
"Actually, we erm. we are also. uh. engaged."  
  
"Really?" Jessica tried not to giggle. She could hardly imagine the Weasley twins as dutiful, doting husbands, manipulated by their wives. "So who are the - uh - unlucky ones, then?"  
  
"Unlucky?" spluttered George.  
  
"They must be the luckiest women on earth!" Fred protested.  
  
Both Oliver and Jessica laughed. They could well foresee the predicament those 'luckiest women on earth' would find themselves in. Jessica had only lived NEXT to the twins last time, and she could hardly survive. Thankfully, she only knew the twins too well, and learnt several ways of protecting herself from their tricks and pranks.  
  
"Well, so who are they, then?"  
  
"Alicia," mumbled Fred.  
  
"Angelina," mumbled George.  
  
"Ah, I see," Oliver nodded his head knowingly. He turned to Jessica, "Those two were chasers of the Gryffindor Quidditch team last time."  
  
"Doing well with that joke-shop of yours?"  
  
The twins brightened up at the mention of their joke-shop. They felt that they were one of the lucky few who were really proud of their careers. It was something they were interested in, after all.  
  
"Oh, of course! We've had so many new inventions recently. There's the old time favourite - Canary Creams - they turn you into a fluffy yellow canary bird for a while, and they're still selling well. Then there's Harry's Hullabaloos - it turns you into the famous Harry Potter momentarily for the thrill of it - it's a tribute to Harry. He provided us with money to start our business with."  
  
George continued, "And of course, there are Tickled Teardrops - a kind of sweet that tickles you until you cry and drop onto the floor laughing, hence the name - it's really popular, I wonder why."  
  
"And of course. The most brilliant one of them all - the Sugared Snitch. We got this brainwave from Harry, when he swallowed the Golden Snitch at one Quidditch match. We figured that making Snitches edible would be interesting. But this is no normal sweet. Upon consumption, you shrink into a tiny ball, sprout wings, and zoom all over the place. But we've made loads of improvement on it, ever since someone ate it, zoomed above the Hogwarts lake, and transformed back into a human then and there. A bit of nasty shock for that Hufflepuff." Fred grinned.  
  
The four of them laughed till their sides ached.  
  
"We're even thinking of setting up a branch here," added George dreamily.  
  
"A branch?" Oliver said thoughtfully. Then his face brightened as an idea formed inside his mind. 


End file.
